Vaporization water distribution plant

ABSTRACT

A vaporization water distribution assembly in particular for the feeding of gaz turbines consisting of at least one feeding collector with nozzle-holder ramps ( 15 ) equipped with a series of nozzles ( 14 ), in which there are tighteners ( 18,24 ) both for the assembly and blockage of the nozzle-holder ramps ( 15 ) with respect to at least one collector and also of the nozzles ( 14 ) to the nozzle-holder ramps ( 15 ), both blockages being effected with the interposition of washers.

The present invention relates to a vaporization water distributionplant, in particular used by machines and plants for the feeding of gasturbines.

The current plant engineering market offers a wide range ofconfigurations and applications suitable for vaporization waterdistribution.

Together with structures assembled in loco for the mechanical weldingand/or joining of different components, the market offers a wide rangeof pre-assembled structures which are mainly envisaged for small andmedium-sized plants.

The variants so far proposed involve the assembly of the variouscomponents with partial or total resort to welding operations of thecomponents.

In particular, plants destined for gas turbine installations must beeasy to assemble as they are linked to the stoppage time of auxiliarygas turbine plants. The owners and/or administrators of these plantsallow stoppage page times of not more than two or three working days.The stoppage times currently offered by the market are in line with thedemands of said owners and/or administrators.

In spite of this, however, a significant variable is represented by thefollowing points:

assembly and/or pre-assembly times, before the positioning of the plantinside the vaporization chamber;

transported plant volumes, with the relative encumbrances and costs;

qualification of the staff assigned to the plant assembly andpositioning;

possible substitutions of plant components;

their adaptation, particularly in the case of retrofits, to theasymmetrical positioning of the nozzle-holder ramps;

safety systems of the known components with unreliable elements (forexample wire passing through elements of the nozzle, wound and knotted).

The assembly and/or pre-assembly technique can significantly influencethe technical-economical results of the installation of said plant. Itcan also lead, especially when resort is made to pre-assembly, toonerous and delicate transportation problems, entailing large physicaldimensions for plants destined for the treatment of comburent air forgas turbines.

The connection operations of the components by welding do notnecessarily imply a prolonged assembly time inside the atomizationchamber, but extend the assembly times outside the same.

The following problems observed and experienced can generally beenumerated, especially during welding operations which means subjectingthe material to particular thermal, physical and chemical conditions.

These operations are exposed to external factors such as:

compatibility of the materials put in contact with each other;

conformity of the implementation of the operation with the dictates ofthe welding process envisaged;

observation on the part of the operator, during the welding phase, ofthe regulations imposed by the welding process.

These problems can be easily solved in an adequately equipped industrialenvironment.

If, however, the installation site does not have an adequateinfrastructure technique for supporting these operations, variousproblems can arise. The water so far used for vaporization or so-calledfogging processes is of the demineralized type.

The characteristics of this type of water require a perfect selection ofconstructive materials in addition to all the connection operationsbetween the plant components.

The implementation and control of the above operations represent animportant and delicate phase for the plant assembly. This results in animportant time investment on the part of qualified staff with therelative costs. In the case of large dimensional plants, preassemblybefore the shipment of the plant must be limited, for reasons oftransportation encumbrance.

An objective of the present invention is mainly to provide a solution tothese possible drawbacks, by reducing the type of elements used andavoiding any possible additional welding operation.

Another objective of the present invention is to produce a cost savingrelating to plant assembly and stoppage operations connected with thevaporization water distribution plant.

These and other objectives according to the present invention areachieved by providing a vaporization water distribution plant asillustrated in claim 1.

Further characteristics of the invention are specified in the subsequentclaims.

In particular, an object of the invention relates to a plant whosecomponents consist of collectors and distributors for the distributionof chemically and/or physically treated water and the housing seats ofthe vaporization nozzles.

The dimension and configuration of said plant is advantageously such asto be able to tolerate the operating conditions established by said useor in the vaporization chambers and by the functioning characteristicsof the pumps, installed upstream of the present plant.

The plant configurations correspond to the integration criteria andnecessities in comburent air treatment sections both for newlyconstructed and already existing plants.

Finally, the plant of the invention has been conceived according tomaximum modularity and above all assembly criteria without weldingoperations.

The characteristics and advantages of a vaporization water distributionplant according to the present invention will appear more evident fromthe following illustrative and non-limiting description, referring tothe enclosed schematic drawings in which:

FIG. 1 is a raised schematic view of a portion of a vaporization plantillustrating collectors equipped with nozzle-holder ramps and relativenozzles;

FIGS. 2 and 3 show a detail of a nozzle-holder ramp and a collector in ablown-up position and, respectively, assembled;

FIG. 4 is an enlarged transversal section assembled in correspondencewith a ramp showing the various assembly elements;

FIG. 5 is a completely analogous view to that of FIG. 4 with a pair ofnozzles blown up from a nozzle-holder ramp; and

FIG. 6 shows a section similar to FIG. 4 which envisages a shapedblocking element which guarantees a safe positioning of the nozzle, and

FIG. 7 a shows a section similar to FIG. 6 which envisages a differentblocking group for the stable positioning of the nozzle, using the twoelements illustrated in FIGS. 7 b and 7 c in the plan.

With reference to the figures, these show a vaporization waterdistribution plant upstream of which there are one or more pumps 11 forpressurizing the water which send said water through tubes 12 tocollectors 13 equipped with a series of nozzles 14.

The size and configuration of the plant of the invention is such as tobe able to tolerate the operating conditions established by use invaporization chambers set up for air treatment, for example comburentair for the feeding of gas turbines.

As can be seen, nozzle-holder ramps 15 are envisaged which arepositioned with respect to the collectors 13 and nozzles 14 which arepositioned on the same nozzle-holder ramps 15, with a simple assemblyoperation, thanks to the particular preparation of the variouscomponents.

The collector or collectors 13 and nozzle-holder ramps 15 are made of amaterial which is corrosion-resistant, preferably of a ferrousderivation (stainless steel), resistant to fluid circulation, such asdemineralized water within a pressure range preferably of 70 to 120 bar.

The blocking system proposed in the present invention is facilitated bythe use of ducts, both in relation to collectors 13 and nozzle-holderramps 15, with a square and/or rectangular section. This type of ductalso allows the nozzles 14 to be arranged in various housings 16, so asto be out of axis between each other by 90° or a selected angle,referring to an axis 17 of each nozzle-holder ramp 15.

This leads to a high standardization degree for groups of componentsused.

The invention also envisages first tighteners 18 for the assembly andblockage of the nozzle-holder ramps 15 with respect to the collectors 13(FIGS. 2 and 3). Said tighteners 18 have the characteristic of allowingthe circulation of the water passing through the collector or collectors13 and sent to the various ramps, and also of allowing, through anappropriately sized hole 19 (for example of about 6 mm), the passage ofthe water destined for the feeding of the single nozzle-holder ramps.The blockage is effected by means of an outer threaded end 21 of thetightener which acts on an internal threaded seat 20 situated at freeends of the ramps 15, with the collaboration of relative washers 22.Each tightener 18 is naturally positioned in a series of relativepass-through holes or openings 23 which are situated in the collectors13.

There are also further tighteners 24 for the assembly and blockage ofthe nozzles 15 (FIGS. 4 and 5) which are constructed using the sameconstruction system described above with a water passage hole 19. As thedestination is different, the dimensions are also different, consideringthe different water flow-rates implied.

These additional tighteners 24 have a threaded outer end 25 which passesthrough holes 26 of the ramp 15 and a high pressure washer 27 in bothperforated sides thereof.

The outer threading 25 at the free end of this latter tightener 24,allows the insertion of a cylindrical body 28 of the vaporizationnozzles 14 envisaged. A diffuser disk 29 with an ejection nozzle 30, ishoused on said cylindrical body 28 (FIGS. 4 and 5), together with asealing disk 31 and a distribution and clenching element 32 forming amechanically autonomous unit, for both the vaporizing functions assignedand also for the blocking and sealing of its internal components.

This construction allows the nozzles 14 to be interchanged and alsoprovides a specific solution for the vaporization of possible, differentquantities of water in the various ramps 15 envisaged, thus allowing aquantitative differentiation of the volume of vaporization waterdistributed.

The nozzle-holder ramps 15 can be envisaged in the plant with either asymmetrical or asymmetrical distance between each other. This latterarrangement allows concentration in particular applicative cases, suchas for example the cooling of the comburent air destined for the gasturbine feeding.

In the case of particular applications, the collector or collectors 13can be envisaged in an equalizing function of the water flow-rates andpressure also at the end of the nozzle-holder ramps 15 (FIG. 1).

The collectors 13 and nozzle-holder ramps 15, with a square and/orrectangular section, can be equipped with open ends and with threadings40 and 20 to form segments of a desired length or to receive closingplates (not shown).

The necessity of operating in very narrow working and assembly times,thus avoiding the operative risks mentioned above, has led to thesolution object of the present invention.

The assembly of the vaporization water distribution plant, object of thepresent invention, is therefore evident.

It is effected by means of screwing with the relative blockage of therelevant components. No welding operation is envisaged either for theassembly or for the pressure sealing of the components envisaged herein.

FIGS. 2-5 show the various components and their positioning inside theplant.

FIG. 6 shows an assembly section of the nozzle 14 of the nozzle-holderramp 15 in which there is a shaped blocking element 41 which guaranteesa safe positioning of the nozzle. In particular, this element 41 isU-shaped, it is fixed in its base 42 inside a hollow housing 43 situatedin the hexagonal head 44 of the tightener 24, and comprises curvedelements 45 at its free ends, suitable for being hooked to a plate 46integral with the nozzle 14.

FIGS. 7 a, 7 b and 7 c show an assembly section of the nozzle 14 of thenozzle-holder ramp 15 in a further embodiment.

In particular, in this further example, there is an assembly section ofthe nozzle 14 of the nozzle-holder ramp 15 by means of the elementsillustrated in plan of FIGS. 7 b and 7 c. In particular, a firstblocking element 141 has an insertion hole 49 for withholding the nozzle14 in direct contact with the cylindrical shaped body 28. A tonguedterminal part 47 is inserted and blocked, by folding, in a slit 50situated in a second blocking element 48, perforated in the centre,which is fixed on the tightener 24. Furthermore, the blocking of thetightener 24 is also obtained on the hexagonal head 44 by the folding ofa portion of the edge 48 a of the blocking element 48.

In this way, as with the two examples illustrated, a safety system ofthe components of the invention is provided, which prevents these fromfalling from the group with the possibility of the components beingentrained by the stream of air towards the moving organs of the turbine(not shown).

The plant thus conceived allows the type and number of components to berationalized. This enables said components to be transported eitherindividually and/or in product groups, thus allowing rationalization ofthe packaging and transportation means.

From experiences so far acquired, the pressure sealing is ensured.

It can thus be observed that a vaporization water distribution plantaccording to the present invention achieves the objectives specifiedabove.

Numerous modifications and variants can be applied to the vaporizationwater distribution plant of the invention thus conceived, all includedwithin the same inventive concept.

Furthermore, in practice, the materials used, as well as theirdimensions and components can vary according to technical demands.

1. A vaporization water distribution plant consisting of at least onefeeding collector (13) with nozzle-holder ramps (15) equipped with aseries of nozzles (14), in which there are tighteners (18, 24) both forthe assembly and blockage of the nozzle-holder ramps (15) with respectto said at least one collector (13), and also of the nozzles (14) tosaid nozzle-holder ramps (15), both said blockages being effected withthe interposition of washers (22, 27).
 2. The vaporization waterdistribution plant according to claim 1, characterized in that its sizeand configuration are such as to be able to tolerate the operatingconditions established by use in vaporization chambers and byfunctioning characteristics of feeding pumps (11), installed upstream ofthe present plant.
 3. The vaporization water distribution plantaccording to claim 1, characterized in that said at least one feedingcollector (13) with said nozzle-holder ramps (15) comprises a series ofside openings (23) for the inflow feeding and outflow distribution ofwater destined for said vaporization nozzles (14).
 4. The vaporizationwater distribution plant according to claim 3, characterized in thatsaid openings (23) are arranged at a distance at a constant pitchbetween each other or at unequal distances, in relation to the demandsof the receiving plant complex.
 5. The vaporization water distributionplant according to claim 1 or 3, characterized in that said collector(13) has a square or rectangular section.
 6. The vaporization waterdistribution plant according to claim 2, characterized in that said atleast one feeding collector (13) and said nozzle-holder ramps (15) aremade of corrosion-resistant steel compatible with the physico-chemicalcharacteristics of the circulating water.
 7. The vaporization waterdistribution plant according to claim 1, characterized in that saidnozzle-holder ramps (15) for the feeding to said nozzles are equippedwith side openings (16) for the housing and fixing of said vaporizationnozzles (14).
 8. The vaporization water distribution plant according toclaim 7, characterized in that said side openings (16) are arranged,inside each ramp (15), so as to be out of axis by 90° and/or 180°. 9.The vaporization water distribution plant according to claim 6,characterized in that the ends of said ramps (15) are equipped withthreaded sections (20) for closure on one side and opening and watercirculation on the other.
 10. The vaporization water distribution plantaccording to claim 1, characterized in that said tighteners (18, 24)envisage at least one hole (19) for the passage of the circulating waterwhich allows a hydraulic connection between the various plantcomponents.
 11. The vaporization water distribution plant according toclaim 10, characterized in that said tighteners (18, 24) are envisagedwith a central connection hole between the at least one side feedinghold (19) and the nozzle-holder ramps (15).
 12. The vaporization waterdistribution plant according to claim 11, characterized in that one endis destined for the use of blocking means, preferably with a hexagonalsection, and the other is threaded to be coupled with a welded sealingplate.
 13. The vaporization water distribution plant according to claim1, characterized in that said assembly tighteners (18, 24) for theconnection between the nozzle-holder ramps (15) and vaporization nozzles(14) are made of corrosion-resistant steel, compatible with thephysico-chemical characteristics of the circulation water.
 14. Thevaporization water distribution plant according to claim 13,characterized in that said tighteners (18, 24) are made of highlyresistant steel by means of turning, perforating and threadingoperations, with work tolerances compatible with the operating pressuresenvisaged and higher than 50 bar.
 15. The vaporization waterdistribution plant according to claim 1, characterized in that itenvisages washers and/or sealing units (22, 27), inserted between thevarious assembly components and resistant to the operating pressuresenvisaged.
 16. The vaporization water distribution plant according toclaim 1, characterized in that in correspondence with a nozzle (14)there is a shaped blocking element (41; 141, 48) which guarantees a safepositioning of the nozzle on said nozzle-holder ramp (15).
 17. Thevaporization water distribution plant according to claim 16,characterized in that said blocking element (41) is U-shaped, is fixedin its base (42) inside a hollow housing (43) situated in a hexagonalhead (44) of the tightener (24), and comprises curved elements (45) atits free ends suitable for being hooked to a plate (46) integral withsaid nozzle (14).
 18. The vaporization water distribution plantaccording to claim 16, characterized in that said blocking elementcomprises a first blocking element (141) which has an insertion hole(49) for withholding the nozzle (14) in direct contact with acylindrical shaped body (28) and a tongued terminal part (47) which isinserted and blocked, by folding, in a slit (50) situated in a secondblocking element (48), perforated in the centre, which is fixed on atightener (24).